EQUALITY GUIdE - KU Leuven

78 Equality Guide
tions and experiences of their research population. A couple of years prior to the PhDresearch,
the SISWO (the institute for social studies) performed a tentative study on the
various aspects of an academic career 84 . In addition to the inflow, the researchers studied
the through- and outflow at universities and research centres. Furthermore, special
attention was paid to the position of female researchers in each phase of the academic
career. Even though the method used was mainly qualitative, this research was very
valuable for our survey. After all, the results on the terms of employment, the working
conditions, the employer-employee relation, the personal motivation and the content
of an academic position could be used to draw up a list of the advantages and disadvantages
of an academic career.
Contrary to these studies, the third group of studies explicitly focuses on the gender
issues in the academic world. Apart from several international comparative studies,
various national studies were used as background information for the survey. Margo
Brouns, among others, has repeatedly denounced the issues faced by female researchers
at Dutch universities 85 . Equally important for this chapter are the reports on equal
opportunities from the Catholic University of Leuven (1999 and 2004) 86 .
Whereas the results of the second and third group of studies shed light on the reality of
an academic career, the student survey focuses on their ideas about an ideal working
environment and employer. By comparing both results, an analysis can be made of the
discrepancy between the students’ expectations on the one hand and the actual experiences
of academic researchers on the other.
2.3. Process report
Ghent University’s Advisory Centre for Students is responsible for general study and
career advice 87 . The Centre organizes workshops about study advice and future career
opportunities for students from various faculties. Another task of the Centre is permanent
evaluation, surveying students on various themes and creating statistics on the
student population. Nevertheless, no research had yet been done on the way in which
male and female students make their study and career choices. Although the Centre
both publishes a brochure on taking a doctor’s degree and organizes annual information
sessions on the prospects of writing a PhD, the matter had not yet been studied
from a gender perspective either. As a result, there were no current data available on
the students’ wishes and expectations with respect to an academic career. Hence, the
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85
86
87
De Gier et al. (2001), op. cit.
Benschop, Y. & M. Brouns (2003). ‘Crumbling Ivory Towers: Academic Organizing and its Gender
Effects’. In: Gender, Work and Organization, Vol. 10, nr. 2; Hoving & Brouns (1998). Women in
Science and Humanities: the Difference that Makes the Difference. Utrecht: NVG.
Centrum voor Gelijke Kansenbeleid, K.U.Leuven (1999 and 2004).
http://www.ugent.be/en/prospectstud/studycareerservice.htm.